The Past Beats The Present
by iStalkAMuffin
Summary: A young girl named Erin Reilly meets a strange video game addict named, Matt. His feelings for her grow until he finds out a dark secret she has kept from everyone. MattXOC
1. Eight Inches of Hypothermia

_My toes hung off the side of the hole, and all I could see was blackness. A rotten stench emanated from the bottom, coming from the rotting bodies. The bodies of all the other people swallowed up by the disease. Cold air drifted from the hole, making me shiver slightly._

_ Was this what would become of me? Am I going to die now? Or will you make me suffer longer? I wish it would all just end…but that was a scary thought._

_ For what if I was to die and not like heaven? What if I went to hell instead? Would anyone miss me? And if so…who? Who would be dumb enough to miss a diseased human being like me? _

_ No one, that's who. _

_ I am alone in this cruel world, the only one left alive at least. If I were to jump and rid this world of life would it end the disease? If I rid this world of life…would I rid this world of the memory of me? Am I the only person who cares about me? Or does someone out there yearn to know who I am and to hold me close, and to keep me safe? _

_ No, no one wishes for that. _

_ One last breath and then I jumped, joining everyone else who had the courage to die, joining the insanity that is this disease._

_ Darkness inhaled me._

_ *_

Blood pounded in my head when I woke up. It was 5 AM and I had had that nightmare again.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, rushing to the kitchen. My house was still, and quiet like it usually was when I wake up from these dreams.

The bottle of pills I take to control this disease inside me was sitting on top of the microwave as usual. Downing four, dry, I sat on the counter staring at the floor. That one streak in my hair had changed color to a dull gray, which meant stress.

It took me awhile to realize that I had been sitting on the counter for almost three hours.

With a sigh, I got off the counter and grabbed my coat.

Today was definitely going to be a long day…

**

Snow drifted lightly to the ground, landing in the grass and annoyingly in my hair.

I hate snow. People say 'Oh, it's so peaceful, and fun to play in!', but it's actually just a bunch of frozen rain, which can give you hypothermia, and kill you. Yeah, my look on the world isn't very bright, can you tell?

Trudging my way through the eight inches of hypothermia, I noticed that no one was outside. Usually those damn kids who always throw rocks at birds, or cars would be in heaven out here. Guess not today.

Something cold hit the back of my head.

I turned around to see my best friend, Sam. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders, and she was bundled up in a bunch of clothing.

"That was fucking cold!" I screamed, brushing the snow out of my hair "Are you TRYING to kill me!?"

"Maybe" She giggled, skipping over to me "Lighten up, Erin!"

"Yeah, yeah, so is school canceled today?" I asked.

"Nope, our school is just that awesome" She rolled her eyes "We better get going"

"Yeah…"

Unlike me, she skipped through the snow; don't ask how, she just did. But I was still trudging through it.

Well that was…until someone grabbed me.


	2. Suspicions

Turning, I saw a boy, his wide green eyes staring at me. His hand was clasped around my arm; I could faintly make out tears on his cheeks.

Then something clicked in my brain, making my ears pop a little, the boy was now taller than me, with the same green eyes, hidden by orange tinted goggles. His red hair fell over his goggles, and his hand had grown, now clasping all the way around my arm.

"Can I help you?" I muttered.

"Yeah, can you tell me your name?" He asked.

"My name is Erin, Erin Reilly…" The streak on my hair changed to a strawberry blonde. That usually meant I was being cautious of what I said and did.

"You look familiar…"

"Sorry, I have to get to school" I muttered, pulling away from him. Then I walked quickly to the school.

There was something weird about that boy…he reminded me of someone…but I can't figure out whom.

***

Walking across the cafeteria, I spotted Sam, Eric, and Shane at our normal table. Quickly walking over, they stopped their conversation.

"Well fuck me naked, and call me gay, look who came back to school" Shane laughed.

"Shut up Shane" I said, sitting down and taking a bite of my pizza.

"Uh…Erin, you know that pizza has mold on it right?" Eric said.

"What!?" I spit the pizza out of my mouth and chugged down half of my water "Gross!"

"You should remember that the food here isn't good, you were only gone a week" Sam laughed.

"It was so lonely here," Shane smiled "not to mention quiet."

"Again, shut up Shane"

"So, did anything happen while you were gone?" Eric asked, taking a sip of his Mountain Dew.

"Not really…" I sighed, thinking of the boy who asked my name earlier today.

Suddenly the bell rang.

"Shit! I'm late!" Eric grabbed everything he could and ran to his next class.

"Crap! See ya in history Erin!" Sam said before running off also.

"Good thing I have third period free" Shane laughed.

"I know! I would hate to be the person to have second period free" I smiled at Shane, then I realized how much he looked like the boy who stopped me earlier today "Hey Shane, do you know someone who has red hair, like yours, and wears goggles?"

His smile faded, and his shoulders rose a little, showing tension. He looked at me with terrified eyes.

"That all depends on what you know" He muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…I have to go" He stood, but I grabbed his arm before he could leave.

"What are you hiding from me, Shane?" My hair turned red; the color of frustration "What do I not know about you?"

"More than you think…" He pulled away from me and ran down the hall.

Okay, so piecing this altogether, Shane is hiding something from me about this boy that looks just like Shane. But when I thought he looked familiar it wasn't because of Shane…it was because of something else.

Walking down the hall, I saw Shane looking out a window, and talking on his cell phone.

Without making a sound, I snuck into the girls' bathroom and listened in.

"This isn't funny Matt," Shane growled "Stay away from her. She is bad news"

Who is bad news? Me? What did I do?

"You never realized how familiar she looks? God you're an idiot…" Shane paused "Yeah, I guess she is hott, but you still have to stay away from her"

Again, WHO!?!?!?

"No, she wasn't lying, her name is Erin Reilly. She's…a bit strange" His eyes shifted to the bathroom "I gotta go" With a click, he shoved his phone in his pocket.

What? How could I be bad news? I never did anything…or…does he know about the disease!? I mean it isn't contagious, but if he knew about it then my life would be over. Goodbye regular high school life, hello doctors and hospitals.

"Whoever was listening, I know you're there"

I walked out of the bathroom, my hair was now orange; the color of curiosity.

"Who is Matt?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.

"It's none of your concern" Shane glared at me.

"Yes it is. You were talking about me. Shane, tell me who this Matt is right now before I call the police" I started shaking.

"He's…" Shane sighed "He's my twin brother"


	3. Who is Lost?

Something came back to me. It was a flash of light, then a picture.

Two boys stood next to each other. One had a video game in his hand, and the other was watching him. The two looked exactly the same, red hair, green eyes, same figure, and same stupid, childish smile. The only difference was one wore goggles, and a black and red shirt, while the other wore a black t-shirt, and no goggles.

One of the boys had to be Shane. They just had to be.

"Tell me Erin," Shane looked me in the eyes "have you ever killed someone?"

My heart skipped a beat. The strip of color in my hair turned yellow; the color of surprise. Then my hands started sweating. He was breaking me down with this one question. But worse yet, the disease was creeping up. Within a few seconds Shane could die, within a few seconds he could be just a memory, within a few seconds I could kill my best friend.

"Do you remember her?" Shane's voice shook, "Do you remember CJ? Huh? Do you remember how you killed her?" his eyes filled with tears, "How can you live with yourself knowing you killed her with that knife!?" he took a step towards me.

"Stay away from me Shane!" I shouted, backing away.

"Hell if I will!" He grabbed me. "You killed my little sister," He reached into his pocket, pulling out a gun "so I'll fucking kill you for revenge!"

"SHANE!" My ears popped, the light dimmed, cold metal brushed against my forehead, and a sneaker squeaked on the floor. Was it over? Had I killed him? Or had he killed me first?

"LET GO OF ME!" Shane screamed.

"Get a hold of yourself! You're accusing her of something that happened years ago! She might even be the wrong person!" Someone else shouted back at him.

"Stay out of this Matt!" Shane growled, "If you won't search for the murderer, then I'll just kill every suspect we have!"

There was a sound, like a hand hitting skin.

"Max…you're losing it" The boy, who was named Matt, said.

An eerie silence filled the hall. The blackness in my eyes was replaced by two boys, both looking identical.

"Shane…" I muttered, tears forming in my eyes.

"Let's get back to Lost, you obviously need another relaxation pill" Matt said.

"I don't need shit," Shane growled, glaring at me "tell Flare and Angela I'll be home soon"

"I'm not leaving here without you" Matt protested.

Then I realized it, there was a gun pointed towards my head. It's cold, silver metal was pressed against my forehead, begging to break the skin and skull.

"Wh-Who is Lost…?" I stuttered, trying to keep calm.

Matt looked at me, surprised. Had he not expected me to talk? Dude, I'm a teenage girl with her best friend holding a gun to her head, in the school hallway. Don't ya think I'm gonna say something?

"Lost is a friend of ours…she specializes in the medical arts and explosives…" Matt answered after a few seconds.

"A-And Angela? What about Flare?"

"Angela is Max's girlfriend; she is a good arms dealer. Flare is the combat specialist, she is the one who is usually asking Angela for weapons." Was this guy for real? Medical specialist, who likes bombs? Combat specialist? Arms dealer?

"Stop telling her this shit!" Shane—who is actually named Max—punched Matt, square in the face.

"Hey!" Someone shouted down the hallway.

Soon a young blonde stomped down the hallway and hit Max.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to hit your brother!?" She shouted, glaring at Max.

"You aren't my mom, Lost!" Max glared back.

"We're not here for you to find your sisters murderer." She shouted "We're here to keep undercover, remember?"

"He doesn't need the lecture, Lost" Matt said, rubbing his now bleeding nose.

This was just crazy, what is going on? It has to be a dream. Yeah, I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and Shane will still be Shane, and my life will just go back to its boring, old self. Right?

Wrong.

"Hora. Tu." Lost looked at me "Ta tu Erin Reilly?"

"Pardon?" I asked, freakishly confused.

"She's asking if you're Erin Reilly, dumbass" Max rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I don't speak…uh…whatever language you just spoke" I muttered, staring at the ground.

"Oh for gods sake!" Lost shouted, "You have never heard someone speak Gaelic before? They don't teach it in these schools, do they? What a shame."

"C'mon Lost, let's get the hell outta here" Max said, walking down the hall. Matt and Lost followed soon after, and so did I.

"What are you? Stalking us?" Lost glared at me.

"N-No…I just wanted to say sorry…for all the trouble I caused…" Her eyes softened up "Is there any way I could be of assistance to your search?"

All of them looked at each other. What is this? Telepathy? That is so not fair. It's cheating!

"Sure," Lost smiled "just follow us"


	4. The Attack

"Didn't we just pass that tree three minutes ago?" I asked, confused. Lost was dragging me around a dark forest to god knows where.

"This seems like a good spot," She stopped and turned to look at me, "Are you ready?"

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"Deamhan! _Bail ó Dhia ort!" Her words were laced with a thick Irish accent. In the blink of an eye she had disappeared. There was an eerie quiet, roaming through the thick trees. Wind whistled in my ears, swirling my black hair around my face. A crunch broke the silence behind me, a crunch like the snapping of a twig._

_ The back of my hand flew up hitting something hard. When my head whipped around I saw Lost's ankle had collided with my wrist._

_ "Quick aren't you?" It took all but two seconds for her to disappear again. This time I could hear her voice in my head._

_Fight back. __It said.__ It's in your blood. You are what you think._

_Another hit, this time it was a punch. I blocked it using a cross block. Her eyes were glowing, the usual hazel color had turned to bright silver, the pupils and irises had disappeared._

_ "You are what you think!" She shouted before disappearing again._

_ Suddenly the lights flashed, the woods I had just been in had disappeared. I was surrounded by mirrors. Each one held an image of me. My eyes were a bright red, the stripe in my hair the same color. Lost was nowhere to be seen. Mist spread out from behind the mirrors like I was in some horror movie. Something rung in my ears, it was Lost's voice._

_What do you think you are?_

_ "I am Erin Reilly," I replied, "I'm a sophomore."_

_Deeper then that, deeper then your identity, what are you truly Erin?_

_Something in my brain clicked, I knew what I was._

_ "I am nothing" I closed my eyes._

_You are not nothing. You are—_

_"__No!__" I screamed, opening my eyes._

_You are a murderer._

_ That was the last thing I remembered. After that it was all a blur._

_ ****_

_ "Is she okay?" Max asked._

_ "She should be fine; she did lose a lot of blood though." Matt replied, still not looking at me._

_ "I don't know what happened…I passed out before I could see what was going on" Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, swelling my eyes up. I __did__ know what had happened to her. But they would kill me if I told them._

_ "It isn't your fault," Matt smiled at me, "She probably ran into a bear or something, you two did run away from us. And Lost isn't all that good with directions." _

_ "Hence why her name is 'Lost.'" Max pointed out._

_ "Not funny" Matt glared at his brother._

_ "I thought it was" Max gave Matt a smug grin._

_ Something stirred in the back of my mind. Why did Lost call me a murderer? How did she know? Does she know someone who has the disease too? It couldn't be possible…she couldn't know._

_ "Erin," Matt said, drawing my attention, "Can I talk to you…alone?"_

_ "Yeah, sure" I replied mindlessly. We walked out of the old cottage and stood on the porch._

_ "Are you sure you don't remember what happened?" He asked._

_ "I'm positive" Was he onto me? No. He seems too confused._

_ "Okay, because Lost definitely was attacked by __someone. __It couldn't be a bear, bears can't stab people," He sighed, "Look, I've lost my whole family—not including Max—and Lost is my best friend. If I were to lose her…I don't know what I'd do. If you remember anything…then tell me."_

_ "I will," I plastered a smile on my face, "Hopefully she'll wake up soon."_

_ "Yeah, maybe she could tell us who attacked her. I wanna rip that guys guts out at the moment."_

_ My heart turned to stone and sank into my stomach. Questions swam through my mind, weighing it down. What if he knew it was me? Would he hate me? What could I do?_

_ "Do you blame yourself?" He asked._

_ "What?" My eyes widened in fear._

_ "I mean, if you could remember, then we could kill the guy who hurt her. Do you blame yourself for not remembering?" _

_ "No," I said, but it was in a meaner tone then I had intended._

_ "Okay…well I would blame myself. I guess you just don't have that kind of guilt in you." He shrugged._

_ A cold breeze brushed against my cheek. It was the middle of January, but it felt like December. Snow was still on the ground here too. The little crystals shined and sparkled like they were diamonds, but soon they would be gone when the heat wave came._

_ "What are you staring at?" Matt raised an eyebrow._

_ "Nothing important," Another plastered on smile, "It's just the snow looks pretty."_

_ "Tch, I never understand you girls. It's just frozen rain." _

_ "But it's pretty frozen rain." My smile started to become genuine, instead of fake._

_ "It's still just frozen rain. It can give you hypothermia."_

_ I laughed, "Actually I agree with you on that. It may be shiny and sparkly, but it really is just hypothermia waiting to happen." _

_ "At least someone agrees with me!" He laughed._

_ Suddenly my adrenaline kicked up a little. Matt's smile was very cute, and so was he. His roughly cut hair fell limp over his face, making him seem like a child. Under the goggles, I could see his big green eyes; they shined brightly with the feeling of happiness. I wish I could see them without the goggles—_

_ "What are you staring at __now__?" His eyebrow rose again. _

_ "Nothing!" My face felt hot, which is never a good sign. I must have been blushing._

_ "Were you admiring how sexy I look?" He grinned and struck a pose. _

_ "Very modest." I giggled._

_ "Yup, modesty is my middle name." _

_ "Your parents must have hated you then." _

_ "What? Modesty is a very common middle name." _

_ I rolled my eyes, "Sure it is, you keep telling yourself that."_

_ "I will" He grinned._

_ "__Matt!__" Someone screamed inside the house. Max ran out, frantic and terrified. _

_ "What? What happened?" Matt's face went from joking to serious._

_ "Lost stopped __breathing.__"_


End file.
